Smile Like You Mean It
by LittleHuskyBear
Summary: When the Doctor abandons his young charge, Cleo Hernandez, she continues to combat any threat that comes to Karakura, alien or not. This includes Aizen and his army of Arrancars. Hot headed, turbulent and inexplicably powerful, Cleo joins Ichigo and his crew as they prepare for the oncoming storm. (Durarara character inserts, slightly AU, eventual OCxCharacter Pairing)
1. Chapter 1

Urahara Kisuke stood outside his shop, sweeping the entrance free of any dirt all the while humming a pleasant yet unknown tune. Then he heard it. A faint but ever growing wheezing sound. It was almost a whoosh, as if some sort of engine was going off. It was the all too familiar sound of a very big spaceship. A big, blue, rectangular spaceship to be precise. Urahara smirked under his green and white striped bucket hat. He followed the sound to the back of the shop where, sure enough, stood a big blue box now fully materialized. The blonde looked up at the box as he walked up to it's door. He knocked four times.  
"Hello? Anyone home?"  
Urahara waited about a minute before one of the panel doors opened. A man about an inch taller than himself with a blue pinstripe suit stood at the entrance.  
"Hello old friend. Won't you come in?"  
The man parted to allow Urahara entrance. Urahara looked on as his surroundings drastically changed as he was now standing inside a rather large control room.  
"That never does seize to amaze me. Bigger on the inside..."  
Urahara turned his attention back to the man as he shut the door and made his way to the control modules.  
"What's going on Doctor? You don't normally just pop in and sweep me off my feet on a bromantic adventure like this. Where are we going anyway?"  
The Doctor stayed silent as he fidgeted with the knobs and buttons on the console.  
"Karakura Central Park."  
Urahara's smirk dropped to a frown of confusion.  
"Doc, that's about a fifteen minute walk from my shop. We didn't have to take the TARDIS..."  
Urahara walked up the steps to stand on the elevated platform and leaned on the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. The Doctor pulled a lever and the TARDIS shook, making that whooshing noise once more. He then paused and looked down intently onto a blank screen.  
"I'm going to die, Kisuke."  
Urahara's eyes widened as his face was frozen in an expression of disbelief, the Doctor looked up. Brown orbs met grey as both men stood there silently. Finally, Urahara pushed himself off the railing and approached the Doctor.  
"What do you need? Whatever it was that kicked up the regeneration I'm sure I can find a way to reverse it. We did it once remember? And that worked prett-"  
The Doctor put his hand up in front of Urahara's face.  
"It hasn't happened yet Kisuke, but it will."  
Urahara looked at the Doctor in confusion, demanding an explanation.  
"A prophecy. My death has been foreseen. I was made aware of the circumstances of my death recently and you almost gave my hearts an attack when you knocked!"  
Urahara ignored that last comment,  
"Prophecies aren't set in stone Doctor."  
The Doctor slid his hands into his pockets as the TARDIS shook once more, indicating a landing.  
"This one might as well be. There's no way out of it. My time has come my friend."  
The Doctor walked past Urahara as he made his way out of the TARDIS, Urahara following suit.  
"Before I go though, I need to leave you with a charge."  
Urahara stayed silent. He quickly mapped out their surroundings, a grassy clearing surrounded by trees. They were probably about a five minute walk from the park itself.  
"A charge you say. Last time you said that I ended up with a two headed zebra in my basement..."  
The Doctor's face scrunched up into one of insult,  
"Oi, she needed a home! It's not like she was carnivorous like the venomous three eyed piranha, or that acid regurgitating puppy you picked up that one time!"  
Urahara put up his arms up defensively,  
"Ok ok, I get it. I'm sorry. Please, continue."  
He slipped his hand in his sleeve and brought out his fan, covering his face with it. The Doctor smiled lightly and turned to walk into the grassy field.  
"Do you remember Cleo?"  
Urahara nodded under his fan,  
"How could I forget her? Little punk burned my fan."  
The Doctor chuckled as he recalled the incident with the fan, the sonic, and the clogs.  
"I'm not exactly sure what's in store for me, Kisuke. I'm afraid if she continues traveling with me then she will only fall deeper and deeper within the vortex. I'm leaving her here."  
Urahara watched the Doctor as he kicked the earth under him,  
"Your the only one I can trust to keep her safe-"  
"Excuse me, but don't you have an entire universe of friends and allies who would be better suited for such a task?"  
The Doctor looked sternly into Urahara's eyes, his face solid as stone.  
"Let me rephrase that, you're the only one STRONG enough to keep her safe."  
Urahara closed his fan, raising his brow in confusion. The Doctor then spun around and began to excitedly pace about back and forth,  
"She's gotten so much stronger Kisuke! She's, she's mutated somehow."  
Urahara took a step back, eyeing for an exit. The Doctor let out an exasperated breath,  
"Her abilities! Don't be thick, man! Use your head! She doesn't just posses Time Lord abilities, no. No no no! She, she can do so much more now!"  
"She's Time Lord?"  
The Doctor stopped in his tracks,  
"Of course she is! Haven't you been listening? Granted she was born in Australia-"  
"Doctor..."  
"-but don't bring up her lack of accent, she'll chew you alive for it."  
Urahara walked up to the Doctor and slapped him over the face with his fan. He let out a high pitched ow before holding his cheek and frowning.  
"Her parents were human. How is she Time Lord?"  
Urahara threateningly held his fan over the Doctor's face and waited.  
"...The time vortex. It did more than just give her her power, it changed her entire anatomy."  
Urahara withdrew his fan and opened it once more, fanning his face.  
"Into Time Lord anatomy? "  
The Doctor nodded.  
"Since the beginning, Doctor?"  
The Doctor nodded again and returned to the TARDIS, leaning against the closed door.  
"I didn't even know about it, not until after the Fall of Arcadia. She's nearly fully developed now, won't be long before she realizes what's going on. So, will you do it?"  
The Doctor looked at Urahara, letting his eyes get big and watery,  
"That damn puppy face won't work on me Doc..."  
The Doctor began to pout,  
"Let me think thoroughly about this..."  
The Doctor let his head fall and looked at Urahara through his lashes, pout and eyes getting bigger.  
"Damn it Doctor! Fine I'll do it!"  
Urahara extended his arms out in exasperation.  
"Aww, I knew I could count on you!" The Doctor was now smiling brightly,  
"All you have to do is check up on her from time to time. She's not alone here, a good friend of mine is also looking after her. I just wouldn't trust him to properly rear a child is all..."  
Urahara's eye's winded,  
"Another friend? An alien? Here in Karakura?"  
The Doctor blinked a few times before clapping his hands together.  
"Oh no no no! Well yes. Not really, but yes.  
It was Urahara's turn to blink a few times,  
"He's human, totally human. He just wasn't born on Earth... or this time. But he's no danger, at least he better not be if he wants to keep his body..."  
The Doctor mumbled that last part. Urahara sighed, bringing his hand to his face and massaging the space between his eyes,  
"How old is the little brat now? It's been about ten, fifteen years hasn't it?"  
The Doctor laughed,  
"Try five years, Kisuke. She's about o be fifteen. Please, keep her safe. I don't know when or if I will be able to return. I need to know she will have a good life. One without danger or tragedy. Just a good normal life."  
The Doctor was almost pleading now. Surely he knew Urahara wouldn't be able to guarantee all of his requests, but he would tell the Doctor what he wanted to hear.  
"And she will. Karakura is a great place to raise kids. She'll be safe. I'll make sure of it."  
The Doctor smiled weakly as he opened the door to the TARDIS.  
"I guess this is it then my friend."  
The Doctor looked over at Urahara, his eyes betraying the smile on his face. Urahara extended his arm, holding out his hand. The Doctor took it. They shook hands,  
"Goodbye Doctor, remember this though. You are not alone. You never will be. Stay alive, for all of us."  
The Doctor smiled genuinely,  
"I will my friend. Goodbye. Be safe."  
With that, Urahara stepped away from the TARDIS and the Doctor disappeared within. The blue box began to come alive once more and Urahara watched on as it slowly began to dematerialized before him until there was nothing left. That's when it hit him, had the Doctor just ditched him? Urahara ran a hand through his hair as he looked around.  
"Well, walking never hurt anyone. Right?"  
He smiled to himself and turned around, beginning to walk out of the clearing,  
"You have to stay alive, my friend. What would the world do without you?".

Jack held onto the sobbing frame of Cleo tightly. The small brunette had her face buried in his chest, letting her tears soak the soft cotton of his t-shirt. He had an arm wrapped protectively around her while he stroked her dark hair with his free hand, trying to comfort the young girl as best he could. Jack looked up at the Doctor who just stood there at the door way with a somber expression.  
"I'm so sorry, Cleo."  
The Doctor let his head drop, trying to cover the welling in his eyes. Jack felt his eyes sting, tears threatening to spill over the edge.  
"There has to be something we can do Doctor. We can't just let you leave like this. We can save you. There has to be a way!"  
The Doctor turned away from them both,  
"There's nothing to do, Jack. This has to be done."  
The Doctor stepped one foot out the door when he felt a harsh tug on the back of his trench coat. He looked over his shoulder to see Cleo holding onto his coat tightly in her fist. Jack tried to restrain her by holding onto her other arm and gently pulling her back but she wouldn't budge. The Doctor's eyes softened,  
"Cleo..."  
"Shut up!" she screamed, not once looking up at him. Her bangs covered her eye's but the Doctor could see the lines of tears on either side of her face.  
"You don't have to face him. You don't have to go! Please Doctor, I can't loose you too!"  
There was a sudden drop in the temperature around them as the windows began to develop crystallized ice. Cleo fell to the floor, her legs beneath her. Ice began to coat the floor around where Cleo had let herself go and expanded to the walls and ceiling. She still held on to the Doctor's coat. Jack kneeled down on one knee right besides her feeling her arms, she was ice cold.  
"Forget about the Master, please Doctor."  
She continued sobbing as the ice grew colder and darker. The Doctor gulped hard as he kneeled in front or her, grabbing both her arms and shaking her lightly,  
"Cleo listen to me! Don't let this overwhelm you. You're strong enough to control it."  
Cleo refused to look up,  
"Just don't go and I will!"  
She shoved Jack and the Doctor away from her as she dashed out the door, leaving behind a trail of ice and frost. Cleo ran towards the big blue box stationed outside their new so called home. She outstretched her right arm towards the TARDIS, emitting en enormous flurry of snow and ice at the space ship until it was completely frozen in place. Jack and the Doctor ran after her, the Doctor grabbed his head with his hands.  
"Cleo! Undo this now!"  
Cleo kept looking down, stomping her foot violently onto the frozen ground. Within seconds, a long barrier of rugged ice protruded from the ground separating Cleo from Jack and the Doctor. It encircled Cleo and the TARDIS. The young girl raised her arms and with her the barrier grew in height until it had formed the shape of a dome around her and the ship. Cleo continued to cry, fearing that if she let her wall of ice down then she would lose the Doctor forever. Cleo heard loud banging on the other side of the wall and the faint voices of the men on the other side. She approached the TARDIS and with a swipe of her hand, the ice around the door disappeared. She pulled at the door, surprised at finding it unlocked. Cleo entered inside, shutting the door behind her. She made her way up to the console and circled it, running a hand over all the leavers and knobs that were found on the surface of the cockpit. She eventually came to a stop in front of the panels that opened up to the heart of the TARDIS, sitting down in front of it. Cleo could hear the whisper of the TARDIS and although she couldn't decipher what she was trying to tell the young girl, Cleo was able to understand the emotion she felt. The TARDIS was scared. She was worried for her master but most of all she was disappointed... in Cleo. Cleo's eye's shot wide open as she felt the sadness in the TARDIS.  
"It's ok to be scared, Cleo."  
Cleo jumped, looking up over her shoulder only to see the Doctor standing over her.  
"I-I didn't hear you- when did you come-"  
The Doctor scoffed,  
"I'm a Time Lord! Give me some credit, will ya?".  
He came and sat down next to Cleo, sighing heavily as he placed a hand onto her head.  
"I know you don't want me to go, I know you're scared and you don't want to be alone. It's ok though because I'll come back. I will always come back to you."  
The Doctor smiled down at Cleo, she wiped tears from her eyes and gave a weak smile. The Doctor bopped her on the head. She exclaimed displeasure at his actions and rubbed the top of her head. The Doctor simply smiled again and wrapped an arm around her shoulders,  
"Do me a favor Cleo, and smile like you mean it."  
Cleo looked up at the Doctor, a small smile playing on her lips.  
"And you'll come back to me?"  
The Doctor nodded his head,  
"Always. "  
Outside, Jack stood by the hole the Doctor had created with his Sonic and observed as the ice began to melt off into the air. All around him, flurries of snow swished around until everything was completely snow and ice free, including the TARDIS. He looked towards the doors as he saw Cleo step out. She came to his side and apologized for pushing him. Jack laughed, holding her in a gentle neck hold. Both companions looked towards the Doctor who stood at the door of the TARDIS. He smiled, wishing them both the best without actually saying anything. Cleo and Jack backed up a little as they waved a final time, tears once more filling Cleo's eyes. They said their final goodbyes as the Doctor shut the doors. Cleo closed her eyes and turned to Jack as she heard the whooshing of the engine. The sound grew fainter and fainter until there was nothing left except a deep indention in the grass where the amazing ship had once stood. Cleo allowed herself to cry once more onto Jack as he slowly led her back into their home.  
"He'll come back, right?" she sobbed. Jack breathed.  
"Yes, he always does. He is the Doctor, after all.".

The Doctor stood outside his TARDIS, looking around Powell Estate. Keeping in the shadows he looked on at the two women walking down the street. As one departed, the Doctor felt the intense pain in his abdomen continue to spread. Won't be long now, he thought.  
"You all right, mate?"  
The Doctor looked up, "Yeah."  
Rose, his Rose.  
"Too much to drink?"  
"Something like that."  
The blonde awkwardly shifted in her spot,  
"Maybe it's time you went home."  
The Doctor nodded, mumbling a small yeah.  
"Anyway, Happy New Year."  
The Doctor stood up right a little more, keeping in the shadows,  
"And you. What year is this?"  
Rose laughed,  
"Blimey, how much have you had? 2005, January the first."  
The Doctor couldn't help but smile,  
"2005. Tell you what. Bet you're going to have a really great year."  
Rose smiled as well,  
"Yeah? See you."  
She waved goodbye and walked away. The Doctor entered his TARDIS again, trying to settle the pain down a little.  
"One more stop..."  
The Doctor pulled a leaver and the TARDIS roared to life. After a minute the ship stood still once more. He looked at the monitor, it said December 25th, 2009. He exited the TARDIS to find himself in a snow covered plaza. The Doctor heard some voices and looked ahead. A few meters away, Cleo was running through the snow covered sidewalk. She was laughing, holding some snow in her hand and padding it together. She the threw the ball behind her.  
"Ha! You missed!"  
Running behind her were two boys and a girl. They were catching up.  
Cleo grabbed some more snow, avoiding some snowballs that had been thrown at her.  
"Mikado!" the boy with black hair looked up only to be hit in the face with a snowball. Cleo kept laughing, never noticing the Doctor behind the bushes so close to her. The Doctor smiled as he looked on. He was happy that Cleo was adjusting to a more ordinary life. After a few more minutes Cleo said goodbye to the three kids and walked in the opposite direction. The snow seemed to swirl around her as she walked. She clutched her coat a little tighter around her body. The Doctor looked on as she outstretched her arm in front of her and opened her palm to the snow. She smiled softly as the snow swirled around her hand, giving off a warm blue hue. She flicked her hand and the snow shot up in beautiful firework like flurries illuminating the small area around her. The Doctor laughed lightly as he walked back to his TARDIS. _It would be better to leave her as is_, he thought. Once inside, the Doctor let the pain shoot through him once more. His hands began to glow. He turned on the TARDIS and took off. He looked around his ship, regeneration energy flowing from his body.  
"I don't want to go."  
In an instant, there was an explosion of gold as all around him the TARDIS set a blaze.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hello all you wonderful readers! I hope you are enjoying Smile Like You Mean It and I look forward to getting feedback from you guys. I will more or less follow the order of the manga with an original adventure here and there. I'll try to update at least once a week, give or take a couple of days. I want this story to read as an adventure and so I don't want to rush the development. I have a great plot planned for this and I can't wait to share it with you guys. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my story enough to leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome. And once again, thank you for reading!

On

To

The

Story...

Cleo Hernandez looked at the vast floral arrangements in front of her, eyeing them with disdain and disgust.  
"You really couldn't come up with anything better?"  
She glared at the three underclassmen who had brought in the distraught arrangements that Cleo was sure had been in much better condition when they had left the florist.  
"You have to believe us Shiroyama-senpai! We were attacked! Just like we told you!"  
Cleo stared down the leader of the trio with her honey brown eyes, sending a cold chill down his spine.  
"Listen-"  
"First year Asano Keigo!"  
"-Asano. Two and a half years ago, I was a first year student here just like you three. I, unfortunately, didn't know anyone because I was new to Karakura Town and when the third years asked me to take care of the floral arrangements for their graduation ceremony like they ask a first year student every year I managed to deliver the highest quality arrangements to them all on my own."  
Cleo grabbed one of the rose baskets and indicated their attention towards the bruised petals and flowerless stems. She shoved it up at Asano's face,  
"Yet between the three of you, all you managed to bring me were these poor excuses for roses?! What the hell man!? We can't graduate with these!"  
Cleo threw the basket onto the floor with enough force that it shattered, making the orange haired girl behind Asano yelp and hold her hands to her chest.  
"I want brand new arrangements by Monday, that gives you five days to get it done-" the three first years began to argue, "-and if you have any complaints, take it out with the Student Council!"  
The orange haired girl peeked out from behind Asano and held up her hand,  
"Excuse me Shiroyama-senpai, but aren't you the Student Council President?"  
Cleo placed her hands at her hips and tried to look as intimidating as a girl of 5'1" could hope to look,  
"Exactly!"  
She pointed towards the girl and demanded she say her name,  
"I-Inoue Orihime."  
"Very well Inoue, while your friends here work on getting these piece of shit flowers out of here, clean up this mess!" Cleo pointed towards the shattered basket and the flowers and dirt on the floor before turning her back on the three and walking out of the classroom, sighing heavily as she slid the door closed.  
Cleo recalled what she had said, two and a half years. That's how long it had been since the Doctor had left Jack and herself in Karakura and took off. As she made her way out of the school, Cleo began to think back through the past ten years to when she had first met the Doctor. She was just a small girl of seven at the time. Nostalgia swept through her as she recalled the way he had crashed his TARDIS through the wall of her home and stormed out like a crazed warrior back from war. Cleo remembered how her parents had acted as if that had been completely normal and greeted the strange intruder warmly. The Doctor always claimed that he had known Cleo since the day she was born but she could not recall his image from before that incident ten years ago.  
"YUKIHIME-CHAN!"  
Cleo was halfway to the front gates when she turned and spotted a slim blonde off in the distance by the gym doors. The blonde ran towards her, waving his arms as if he still needed to get her attention.  
"Masaomi-kun, what are you doing here so late? Class ended two hours ago."  
Kida Masaomi stopped in front of her, leaning forward and placing his hands on his knees while he attempted to catch his breath. Cleo noticed the sweat on his face and the wet patches on his white workout shirt.  
"Oh, well I was just helping Kagine-sensie out with some storage stuff. As Student Council Historian it is only my duty to help the staff and make sure they are doing their jobs properly!"  
Cleo held back a laugh as she smirked at her sweaty friend,  
"You got corporal punishment again, didn'cha?"  
Masaomi straightened up and scratched the back of his head, giving Cleo a goofy grin,  
"Yeah, Coach made me run thirty laps around the gym."  
Cleo did a double take,  
"Thirty!? Damn Masaomi-kun, what did you do this time?"  
"I hit on Ms. Itoko and asked her out in front of the class. She didn't seem mad at first but after the final bell she said she had something special for me and told me to wait in the classroom. Five minutes later she came back with Coach behind her..."  
Cleo laughed at her audacious friend.  
"Looks like today is just full of misfortune."  
Masaomi's grin fell off as he blinked a few times,  
"What happened Hime-chan?"  
Cleo began to tell Masaomi of her struggle with the first years and the terrible arrangements they brought in. As Cleo went on about the situation, she accompanied Masaomi into the locker rooms to get his bag and uniform before leaving the school. They walked side by side down the street as Cleo vented her frustrations, the young man listening patiently and offering tidbits of advice here and there.  
"Just to make sure though," Masaomi began, "you are aware that we won't be graduating until March right? It's only November. What good are flowers right now? They'll just be dead by the time the school year ends."  
Cleo rolled down the sleeves of her yellow uniform cardigan, shivering slightly at the cool autumn air.  
"These arrangements weren't supposed to be used, Masaomi-kun. This is just so we can see our options and decided on the final arrangement for March. They'll obviously get fresh flowers for the ceremony."  
Masaomi's brow furrowed in confusion,  
"Then why did you get so mad?"  
Cleo sighed once more,  
"Because it's ridiculous that they actually thought they could turn in something as hideous as those roses. We might still have another semester left but it'll pass by in a heart beat and we have to decide on the final arrangement soon so Anri-chan and I can place the final order."  
Masaomi nodded in understanding. The pair continued to walk until they reached Cleo's home. A spacious two story home in the northern housing district of Karakura. Masaomi waved goodbye as he took off towards his home three streets away.  
"Hello Ishida-san!"  
Cleo waved at her silver haired neighbor as he left his house cloaked in his white doctor's coat. He smiled and waved at her as he entered his car and drove away.  
"That was a lot more friendlier than normal."  
Cleo looked up to see Jack coming out of the front door and down the porch, "he's always so grouchy. The guy never smiles, not even at his own kid!"  
Cleo raised an eye brow at her immortal care taker,  
"Since when do you bother to take notice of the Ishida"s? We've lived next to them for more than two years and just now you're starting to take an interest?"  
Jack stepped to the side to allow Cleo entrance to their home.  
"Well, yeah. You've noticed it too right? Ishida's kid went missing for quite some time."  
Cleo took off her shoes and locked the front door shut after Jack. She recalled how her young neighbor had indeed disappeared for a while and then suddenly returned not to long ago. There had been something different about him though. Cleo had noticed right away.  
"Do you think it had something to do with the sudden appearance of all those shinigamis?"  
Jack walked into the kitchen, Cleo close behind,  
"Why would he be wrapped up in that mess? Urahara said it was just that Soul City trying to recover a convict."  
He grabbed a beverage from the fridge and tossed it at Cleo, grabbing a beer for himself.  
"Do you believe everything Clogs says?" Jack shrugged lazily, Cleo continued "I don't take his word to be worth all that much." Jack drank from his beer and sat on one of the bar stools around the island table.  
"You know, after you set him on fire I don't think he trusts you all that much either," Cleo chocked on her beverage, "but if the Doctor trusts him then that's good enough for me."  
Cleo felt a sudden urge to throw her bottle at Jack. Instead she chugged the rest of her drink and tossed the bottle in the recycling bin. Without another word she turned away from him and headed to the stairs on the other side of the living room.  
"Where you going?!" Jack called after her.  
Cleo stopped halfway up the staircase, "Gonna get ready for work. Don't wait up for me."  
She heard a faint "I never do." as she continued and entered her bedroom, shutting the door.

Uryu laid on his bed looking up at the dark ceiling. It had been a few weeks since he had returned from the Soul Society with Kurosaki and the others. He had been gone all that time and yet his father hadn't said a single word to him about it. Now he was just laying there in the dark, thinking back to his battle with Mayuri and how now he was just as useless as a rock. Uryu sat up and walked over to his window, looking up at the few stars that were visible through the cloudy night sky. Uryu's thoughts continued to race around his head as he tried to figure out a way to get his powers back. Out of frustration, he slammed his fist on the glass allowing his forehead to make contact as well. He closed his eyes and just stood there for a while. Allowing his despair to get to him.  
_'There's no point in losing myself over this. I just have to find a way to recover myself.'_ he thought.  
Uryu sighed deeply and composed himself. Opening his eye's he found himself staring down at his neighbor. She had a curious expression on her face as she stared right back up at him. Uryu immediately straightened up, feeling his face go hot. He tried to hide his embarrassment behind his hand. She looked like a small doll standing there, she smiled happily and waved at him. He slowly waved back with his other hand as he slightly backed away from the window. He saw her make her way to her red Firebird, he always guessed it was a 60's or 70's model. She was decked from head to toe in black, her dark brown hair in a tight bun. She was probably heading to work, if Uryu remembered correctly she was a waitress in a bar downtown. The engine roared to life as she took off. Uryu remembered how observant his neighbor was. Shiroyama Yukihime. She had easily noticed the change in spiritual pressure the day after Kuchiki-taichou had come for Rukia. He recalled the conversation he had had with her the following morning on one of their rare walks to school together. Normally, she left about half an hour before he did.  
_'Did you feel anything strange last night? Like a heavy weight in the air?'_  
Those had been her exact words. It was odd. Before that day, Uryu had never guessed that Shiroyama would have been able to sense any type of spiritual pressure. He certainly had never felt any from her. He would have to keep a closer eye on her, last thing he needed was his neighbor getting attacked by a hollow after accidentally releasing large amounts of spirit energy. And then there was her uncle, Subarashii Koibito. Uryu had only met him a couple of times and he always got an ominous feeling from him. It was almost haunting. Or perhaps it was just his inappropriate flirting that got to him. Then again, he seemed to always flirt with anything that moved. Uryu closed his blinds as he returned to his bed.  
BEEP BEEP BEEP!  
He reached for his phone on top of his night stand and flipped it open. It was a text from Orihime.  
**'Can you come to my place? Chad and Ichigo are all ready here. Emerceny meeting. Over!'**  
Uryu hopped out of bed. He quickly texted back, saying he'd be there in 10, not forgetting to put 'over' just for Orihime's sake. He grabbed his shoes and jacket, locking the door behind him. He stopped at the edge if his lawn and looked over his shoulder at Shiroyama's house. He couldn't help but shiver. Now that he actually paid attention, there was definitely an odd aura coming from that residence. Without notice, the front porch light flickered to life. The front door opened as Uryu saw Subarashii strut out wearing a long, brown trench coat over his clothing. Subarashii had noticed Uryu noticing him and followed to wave at the young man. Uryu's eyes zoned onto the belt Subarashii was wearing. On the belt was a holster and what looked like a gun, it was larger than a normal fire arm though. Uryu waved back as Subarashii got into his black Camaro SS Convertible. This was also a classic model just like Shiroyama's. They sure did have a thing for older generation cars. He pulled out of the driveway, waving one last time at Uryu and took off down the street.  
_'Why would he need such a large gun? What is he going to do?'_  
Uryu felt greatly uneasy as he considered breaking into their home and investing what was really going on. With all honesty he found it hard to believe that those two were even actually related. With Shiroyama's tan skin and small frame, she resembled nothing to her supposed uncle who towered over her. With everything that had recently happened, Uryu did not find it hard to believe that perhaps Shiroyama and Subarashii were not who they claimed to be. What bothered him the most were their Japanese names. There was not a drop of Japanese in their appearance.  
Suddenly, Uryu felt a vibration in his pants pocket. He took out his phone, reading the new text.  
**'Hurry up, Uryu! Don't keep us waiting all night!'**  
"Tss! Damn, Kurosaki!"  
Where did he get off referring to him in such a friendly manner, thought Uryu. He took off once more towards Orihime's, the suspicious about his neighbors taking a seat in the back of his head for the moment.


End file.
